Chris Christie Turns Down DeSantis Pledge To Use Special Forces To Destroy Cartels In Mexico

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie disagreed over the weekend with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ pledge to send U.S. Special Forces into Mexico to kill off the Mexican cartels.

Christie made the remarks during a Sunday interview on CBS News’ “Face The Nation” when asked about DeSantis’ statement last week at the Republican Party’s first presidential primary debate.

“Governor DeSantis said he would deploy U.S. special forces. Do you think that that is a viable solution to the Fentanyl crisis?” host Nancy Cordes asked. “Wouldn’t Mexico view that as an act of war?”

“I think they would,” Christie said. “And look, I see it also as an act of war by China to be sending the precursor chemicals to these Mexican drug cartels in order to make the fentanyl that they’re sending up into the country.”

“Look, I think there are ways to get this done,” he continued. “I think we have to use our intelligence assets, we have to be much tougher and stronger at the border to prevent people from coming through, finish the wall that Donald Trump never finished, only built 52 miles of in four years. We need to make sure that we put National Guard at the border to stop those folks from coming across the border with fentanyl. I think the invasion of Mexico issue is one that sounds good on the debate stage, but I think if any of them tried to implement that part of it, as President, they would find it’s much more complicated than they’re making it sound.”

WATCH:

The U.S. should deploy National Guard troops to the southern border to act as a "greater force" to fight cartels bringing fentanyl into the country, @govchristie says.

Customs and Border Protection “would still be the law enforcement agency, but they need backup,” he adds. pic.twitter.com/RpyW35Wjet

— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 27, 2023